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Almost all cremations done in the US are done at crematoriums where bodies are put inside an incinerator. The only open-air cremation service in the US is the non-profit Crestone End-Of-Life Project, which does a handful of open-air cremations every year in Crestone, Colorado.
But my question is, are there specific state laws that prohibit open-air funerals everywhere else in the country? Maybe environmental laws, fire safety laws, or body desecration laws?
I'll give you the situation in Washington, which is probably similar to the situation elsewhere. RCW 68.50.130 say that you have to follow the law in disposing of a body. To perform a cremation, you need a license. The regulations established by the Department of Licensing say that cremations take place in a crematory, and the facility must be licensed. We turn to the definition of crematory, which is
a building or area of a building that houses one or more cremation chambers, to be used for the cremation of human remains
This applies to hydrolysis facilities as well, but not composting facilities (which can simply be "real property").
